New RPG Company Casting All Women for Genesys

I'm mildly disturbed by this news item, but here it is for completeness' sake. There's a new RPG company that is in their words - "revolutionizing the gaming industry", by photographing "hot gamer chicks" beginning with their new game Genesys. Fables Streams is launching their new game later this summer, but in the meantime, they are "casting real gamer chicks to portray the nine main characters in the game".

They are hosting a casting/launch party in Miami this weekend at Q Lounge Miami, where "hundreds of gorgeous women who love gaming will come out for their chance to be 1 of the 9 Fates in the new RPG Genesys".

I have pasted the "MEDIA ALERT!" below (complete with breathlessly excitable "MEDIA ALERT!" headings), and attached the .docx press release to this post. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it whiffs of gender-based exploitation to me and doesn't - in my eyes - qualify as "revolutionizing the game industry" so much as "using cliched cheap sexist gimmicks in the game industry that we should have moved away from by now".

Hopefully, I'm just misunderstanding it - I'm all for promoting women in the industry, and I feel that they are woefully underserved in our hobby, but I feel lines like "There's nothing sexier than a hot gamer chick who knows how to throw it down and keep up with the boys" is language we need to avoid if we actually want our industry to actually represent a diversity of people, and find it hard to see sexism as "revolutionizing".

I'd be very interested in hearing the opinions of our female membership on this issue. Please be warned that, as this is no doubt a sensitive issue, EN World's moderators will be keeping a close eye on this thread; we do not tolerate sexism on our website.

MIAMI, FIRST CITY TO HOST CASTING EVENT FOR RPG COMPANY FABLE STREAMS NATIONWIDE SEARCH

Live Casting Party to Take Place at Q Lounge on Saturday, June 16th

There's nothing sexier than a hot gamer chick who knows how to throw it down and keep up with the boys, which is why the new Role Playing Game company, Fable Streams is searching the country to find nine vivacious women to portray the nine lead characters in their new Role Playing Game (RPG), Genesys. The search for �1 of the 9� will begin in the sexiest city on the planet, Miami, Florida at South Beach�s hottest new lounge, Q Lounge on Saturday, June 16.

The night will begin at 11 p.m. with international sensation Pirate Stereo working the turntables, spinning the hottest beats in Electronic Dance Music (EDM) while female revelers indulge in complimentary vodka cocktails, schmooze with fellow gamers, and prepare for their chance to become 1 of the 9."

The night will serve as an official casting party while simultaneously functioning as a ladies night at the new fabulous bar and lounge. Women will enter free and receive complimentary cocktails until 1 a.m. As the ladies enter the official 1 of the 9 Casting Party, they will be given a registration number and information on the characters they will potentially portray.

Throughout the night revelers will get a preview of the characters and the story of Genesys, as images of the Nine flash across the projection screens.

By the end of the night, Fable Streams will announce the Miami finalists for the national 1 of the 9 Casting Competition. (See end of alert for 1 of the 9 prize information.)

Oh man. Yeah, it's skeevy-looking as heck. And more than that, it seems...unintentionally hilarious. I mean, gamers? In a bar? In Miami? Because THAT'S a great place to indulge in your favorite pass-time and meet people with similar interests.

Even if it's legit, and not more of a misguided marketing scheme / desperate ploy for attention, it reeks of objectification. It's a little sad. A little stupid. If they're not TRYING to look like creep-o's they're failing.

From all those gamers who would like to see some maturity in the RPG scene, and who want to see women treated as equal participants round the table instead of as eye candy for the guys to ogle - Thank* you very much, Fable Streams.

What I would like to know is how they got so much money to put this together if they actually honored their contracts and plan to do this much PR for a rpg. I don't even think WotC or Paizo could afford this kind of budget from travel expenses alone.

I would be more inclined to say this is an elaborate stunt for rpg nerds to pick up pretty girls.

What I would like to know is how they got so much money to put this together if they actually honored their contracts and plan to do this much PR for a rpg. I don't even think WotC or Paizo could afford this kind of budget from travel expenses alone.

Yeah, something is rotten in the state of Denmark alright.

This is not an RPG company trying to promote its product. No, this sounds more like a "modeling" company, trying to recruit "models." If you catch my meaning.

My guess? The casting company is a private contractor, and Genesys is just one of several clients. The casting company is offering its services to Genesys at a reduced cost for coordinating the event...with plans to recover this cost by funneling all of the potential "models" to their other clients. So nine women will get offered contracts by Genesys...the rest will probably get offers from adult magazines and film producers.